Shahid – Sonam’s Mausam in title row

MUMBAI: Title rows are becoming quite common in the Hindi film industry nowadays. The latest to fall prey to this is the Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor starrer Mausam, which is directed by Pankaj Kapur.

A bizarre and quite preposterous legal battle is brewing between the producers of Mausam and a small-time producer Nawman Malik, who claims that the title Mausam is his. Malik has even moved the Mumbai High Court asking for an injunction against producer Sheetal Talwar and director Pankaj Kapur for using what Nawman claims is his title.

Malik, who has also acted in a couple of movies, has apparently demanded a compensation of Rs 10 million (Rs 1 crore) for the title. He has even submitted a digital film called Mausam, which he claims he made.

However, the plot doesn’t stop being bizarre here… there’s more. Apparently Malik has also dragged actor Mithun Chakraborty’s name into the Mausam case claiming that he (Malik) could not make his film entitled Mausam earlier because he was busy producing Mithun’s son Mimoh’s debut film Jimmy.

Adding further complications to the murky matter is the fact that this producer Malik had served as an assistant to Pankaj Kapur when the latter directed the television serial Neem Ka Ped in the 1980s for Doordarshan.

Malik’s past connections with Pankaj Kapur signify more complex issues behind the title tussle than a legal one.

Livid, and unwilling to pay a rupee of compensation to the allegedly aggrieved part, Mausam producer Sheetal Talwar said, “This gentleman has gone to court claiming the title Mausam is his. He has even come up with a digital film called Mausam to endorse the legitimacy of his claims. Yes, he wants Rs 1 crore from us to give away the title. But I want to know where he was all along when we called our film Mausam. And why drag Mithun-da’s name into it? Even if I’ve to burn my film down I won’t give this man a single paisa.”